Chant, an independent software vendor of speech technology tools, announced today general availability of SpeechKit 6, a new version of its component software that enables software programs and Web pages to speak and respond to voice.

Now developers have the ability to quickly and easily add speech recognition and speech synthesis (text-to-speech) capabilities to desktop, Web, and mobile applications. SpeechKit 6 provides a common application interface for Acapela, Cepstral, IBM, Microsoft, and Nuance speech technologies.

"Developers continue to innovate new ways to solve business requirements with speech enabled applications," said John Earle, president and founder of Chant. "SpeechKit 6 provides developers application ready components for a fast and easy way with minimal coding effort to integrate speech technology that leverages technologies available on platforms such as Vista and Windows Mobile 6."

New key features and capabilities provided by SpeechKit 6 include:
* .NET 3.0 WPF component library for speech enabling WPF applications and UI controls.
* Grammar Management enhancements for rules, dynamic lists, and deploying applications with embedded grammar binary.
* VCL components for speech enabling C++Builder and Delphi 2009 applications,
* Optimizations for large speech synthesis playbacks, 
* Record and playback options for compressed audio formats (.wma, .mp3), 
* Native API support for Acapela, Cepstral 5, and Nuance Vocalizer voices, and 
* Windows Mobile 6 compatible libraries.

US Pricing and Availability
SpeechKit 6 can be ordered today. SpeechKit 6 Win32 Developer Edition new user pricing is $199. SpeechKit 6 WinCE Developer Edition new user pricing is $199. SpeechKit Win32 Deployment Edition pricing is $199. SpeechKit WinCE Deployment Edition pricing is $399. For more information about features and pricing, visit http://www.speechkit.com.

About Chant
Chant is a leading provider of software and services that help organizations gain competitive advantage with speech technology. Chant is the first company to provide engine-independent middleware for developing desktop, mobile, web-enabled, and telephony applications that use speech technology. For more information, please visit www.chant.net. Getting the world talking with technology.

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Chant, SpeechKit, and Getting the World Talking with Technology are trademarks or registered trademarks of Chant Inc. All other marks are owned by their respective companies.